Caprese Cheese Dip

December 17, 2025
Ingredients

All amounts are to-taste, so use as much (or as little) as you like.

amount ingredient
— cheese
— tomatoes, cherry
— balsamic vinegar
— basil, fresh
~1 T olive oil

Process
1. spread cheese out in low bowl or shallow plate
2. in a dry pan on high heat, add olive oil and toss in tomatoes, toss to coat and spread oil around evenly
  - the high heat will cause a little bit of smoke; nothing to worry about, but consider opening a window or running a fan
3. once the tomatoes have charred and some or most have popped, pour them directly over the cheese plate; the heat will melt and soften the cheese
4. drizzle balsamic vinegar on top
5. snip fresh basil directly over the plate with scissors (easiest way to do it)
Notes
- can add other toppings such as parmesan cheese, additional herbs, red pepper flakes, etc.
- serve with toasted bread
cheese recommendations

Any fresh cheese will probably work for this recipe, such as:
- boursin
- burrata
- cottage cheese
- fresh mozzarella
- ricotta
I would not recommend cream cheese here (untested).
Mains // Recipe // Stovetop

better than takeout ○ italian ○ photo ○ quick ○ vegetarian

amount	ingredient
—	cheese
—	tomatoes, cherry
—	balsamic vinegar
—	basil, fresh
~1 T	olive oil

Lemon Parmesan Chicken Bites

May 2, 2025

Ingredients

All amounts are arbitrary and to-taste. Sorry.

For the Marinade

amount	ingredient
2 lbs	chicken breast, cubed
—	lemon juice, fresh
—	black pepper
—	taco seasoning
—	chili powder^* ^**
—	garlic powder
—	salt
a lot	Parmigiano-Reggiano, blended or shredded
1-2 T	oil (optional)

^*a smokey blend of spices (Mexican), NOT a single-pepper powder like cayenne
** see notes

For the Sauce

amount	ingredient
6 T // ¾ stick	butter, salted
1 tsp – 1 T	garlic, fresh, crushed into paste or minced (optional)
—	Parmigiano-Reggiano, blended or shredded
~½ cup	cilantro, fresh, chopped
1	lime, fresh, juice of^*
—	hot sauce
—	honey

^*or lemon should be fine, too

Process

add lemon juice to chicken and mix until well-coated
add remaining ingredients for marinade and mix until chicken is evenly coated
marinate in fridge for ~2-3 hours

Preheat oven: 425º F
Bake: 15-20 minutes, depending on thickness of chicken

in a small pot, heat butter and garlic (if using) gently on low heat until garlic loses its sharpness and butter is infused
take off the heat and add remaining ingredients for sauce; set aside
when chicken is done cooking, take out and brush with sauce

Notes

for the chili powder, use whatever you have on hand; I didn’t have it and subbed with a burger seasoning; it’s chill, get creative or just leave it out
I didn’t use oil in the marinade and chicken still came out juicy and tender (see photo); might get more browning if you use it
if you don’t have a brush for applying the sauce, just spoon it over or dunk the pieces to coat

Suggested uses

eat as-is
on a salad (you can try adding more lemon juice and maybe balsamic to the sauce leftovers for a quick dressing)
over rice (use the sauce more liberally)
in a sandwich or wrap
with pasta in a white sauce

Mains // Oven // Recipe

better than takeout ○ chicken ○ italian ○ marinade ○ meat ○ photo

Alfredo Sauce

April 27, 2025

Ingredients

amount	ingredient
2 T	butter
1 clove or ¼ tsp	garlic or garlic powder
1 cup	heavy cream
1 cup	Parmigiano-Reggiano, blended or shredded
to taste	salt
to taste	black pepper
to taste	red pepper flakes^*
1 handful	arugula or spinach, chopped^*
5	sundried tomatoes, chopped^*
1	lemon juice, fresh^*

^*optional

Process

in a saucepot on the stove, gently melt butter and add garlic; cook until fragrant, a minute or two
add heavy cream and parm
add salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes; simmer gently as sauce thickens
add greens and sundried tomatoes
when sauce thickens to desired consistency, turn off heat, add lemon juice and stir

If adding to pasta, set pasta to boil before starting the sauce and add it to the saucepot along with a little bit of pasta water once done. Stir to coat thoroughly and serve.

Notes

if the sauce is too thick, thin with milk or water (whatever you have on hand)
can also use milk or half and half if you don’t have cream, but may have to cook down longer to thicken

optional add-ins

Add whatever you have on hand, like:

parsley (fresh or dried)
white pepper
arugula
spinach
kale, finely chopped
sundried tomatoes

Base Ingredient // Recipe // Stovetop

better than takeout ○ freezer friendly ○ italian ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ quick ○ sauce ○ vegetarian

Lemon Balsamic Vinaigrette

December 23, 2023
credits

Recipe adapted from Foolproof Living.

Ingredients

Amount Ingredient
1 lemon, zest of
1 clove garlic, grated (about 1 tsp jarred)
2 T lemon, juice, fresh (about ½ a lemon)
3 T balsamic vinegar
3 T olive oil
1 tsp salt, kosher^*
1 tsp mustard
½ tsp black pepper
^* or 1 scant tsp of table salt

Process
1. mix all ingredients together
Notes
- use any kind of mustard you have on hand, I prefer stone-ground, spicy brown, but try out horseradish or others
- I prefer dressings that are acid-heavy, but you could increase the oil ratio if you like
dressing uses
- spring mix salad
- chicken or fish marinade
- glaze for roasted vegetables or grilling
- drizzle over artisanal sandwich bread to hydrate and add flavor
Accompaniments // No Cook // Recipe

dressing ○ dump and go ○ italian ○ marinade ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ quick ○ vegetarian
Marinara Sauce

August 5, 2023
Credits

Recipe adapted from Budget Bytes.

Ingredients

makes 4 32oz jars

106 oz tomatoes, whole, peeled
300g onion, yellow, diced
110g butter
2 T garlic
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T sugar
2 T basil, dried
1 T oregano, dried
1 T crushed red pepper
to taste black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tsp MSG

Process
1. add all ingredients to pressure cooker
2. mash everything up roughly with potato masher, or crush up tomatoes with hands
```
Pressure: low
Time: 30 minutes
Release: natural
```
1. blitz with immersion blender to desired consistency
Notes
- 106oz of whole, peeled tomatoes = 1 giant 10# can from Costco
- can also add negligible amount of baking soda to cut acidity instead of sugar (untested)
- can also slow cook for ~8 hours on low
  - after slow cooking, onions don’t necessarily become translucent, still have some raw bite; consider:
    
    running on high for 4 hours instead (untested)
    
    pressure cooking as above in addition to slow cook
    
    sauteing onions in butter and maybe some olive oil briefly before step 1 (untested)
See the freezing guide for tips and information on freezer-safe food storage.
Base Ingredient // Instant Pot // Recipe

better than takeout ○ dump and go ○ freezer friendly ○ italian ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ sauce ○ vegetarian
Quasi-Caprese Bagel

April 19, 2022
Ingredients

Amount Ingredient
1 bagel, toasted
25g boursin, cracked pepper
~4 tomatoes, cherry
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 basil leaves, fresh, ribboned

Process
1. toast bagel
2. spread each slice with boursin; layer other ingredients on top
Nutrition

470 calories

Notes
- I used and recommend an everything bagel
- you can use any flavor of boursin, but I recommend the cracked pepper one; if you don’t have it, crack some fresh black pepper on top of whatever flavor boursin you have, after spreading
- can turn it into a breakfast sandwich by adding an over easy fried egg on top
Mains // Oven // Recipe

better than takeout ○ breakfast ○ calories calculated ○ italian ○ photo ○ quick ○ sandwich ○ vegetarian
Caprese Panini

December 13, 2021
Ingredients

Makes 1 large panini

Amount Ingredients
98g Bread, Italian, sliced (Pane Turano)
93g Mozzarella, fresh, sliced
55g tomatoes
3 leaves basil, fresh, torn
1 T balsamic vinegar (or reduction)

Process
1. (Optional) Spray one slice of bread with spray oil and lay it oil side down (see notes)
2. Layer on the rest of the ingredients
3. Add the other slice of bread and spray top with oil, if using
4. Heat in toaster oven, panini press, or George Foreman grill, or press on a dry pan on the stove
Nutrition

493 Calories

Notes
- If calories aren’t an issue, you can drizzle the outside of the sandwich with olive oil on both sides, or spread with butter instead of using the spray oil
- You can also drizzle some olive oil on the inside of the sandwich, but I find it’s not necessary
- If using the toaster oven, it’s fine to take the sandwich out halfway through and press it down a bit.
- Pane Turano is my bread of choice for paninis, but any nice sourdough bread should work fine. Other breads like ciabatta or foccacia will work, too, but the calorie count will be different.
Airfryer // Mains // Recipe // Specialized Equipment // Stovetop

calories calculated ○ italian ○ photo ○ quick ○ sandwich ○ vegetarian

Amount	Ingredient
1	lemon, zest of
1 clove	garlic, grated (about 1 tsp jarred)
2 T	lemon, juice, fresh (about ½ a lemon)
3 T	balsamic vinegar
3 T	olive oil
1 tsp	salt, kosher^*
1 tsp	mustard
½ tsp	black pepper

Amount	Ingredient
1	bagel, toasted
25g	boursin, cracked pepper
~4	tomatoes, cherry
1 tsp	balsamic vinegar
3	basil leaves, fresh, ribboned

Amount	Ingredients
98g	Bread, Italian, sliced (Pane Turano)
93g	Mozzarella, fresh, sliced
55g	tomatoes
3 leaves	basil, fresh, torn
1 T	balsamic vinegar (or reduction)

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

November 29, 2021

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

Amount	Ingredient
3 T	butter
1 large	onion, diced
2 stalks	celery, diced
1	bell pepper, red, large, diced
1 tsp	garlic, minced
4 tsp	Better Than Bouillon no-chicken base
30oz	water
30oz	tomatoes, diced
¼ cup	basil, fresh
2½ T	tomato paste
1 tsp	salt + to taste
1 tsp	fresh ground black pepper
2 T	balsamic vinegar + to taste
½ tsp	MSG + to taste
½ cup	Parmesan cheese, fresh grated
½ cup	heavy cream

Process

Instant Pot

set Instant Pot to sauté mode, melt butter and sauté onions, celery, and bell pepper until tender
add garlic, cook 1 minute until fragrant
add the rest of the ingredients (except Parmesan and heavy cream)

Pressure: high
Time: 5 minutes
Release: quick

purée contents with immersion blender until smooth
stir in Parmesan and heavy cream, let warm through; serve hot

Stovetop

Use a heavy-bottomed pot and instead of pressure cooking in step 3, simmer until everything is tender and starts to break down.

Nutrition

Calories = 1,215 total recipe (152 per serving)

Notes

blend less for chunky soup
use (1) 28oz can or (2) 14 oz. cans for the tomatoes. 2 oz less than the full 30 called for in the recipe isn’t a big deal but the difference can be made up with fresh tomatoes so a third can isn’t opened unnecessarily
a 30oz box of stock can be used instead of the BTB base + water
a large carrot can be substituted for the red bell pepper, though the latter is tastier

See the freezing guide for tips and information on freezer-safe food storage.

Instant Pot // Recipe // Soup // Stovetop

better than takeout ○ calories calculated ○ freezer friendly ○ italian ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ vegetarian

Balsamic Reduction

November 28, 2021
A cup of balsamic vinegar can be cooked down as-is into a thick, syrupy glaze. This is my preferred method, which I find sweet enough. If you must add sugar, use the recipe below.

Ingredients

Amount Ingredient
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 T sugar

Any kind of sugar should work here (cane, raw, brown, granulated,). I would avoid powdered, as I haven’t tested that and it tends to behave in sometimes unexpected ways.

Process
1. Add all ingredients in a small sauce pot set on medium high heat.
2. Boil until reduced by half or desired consistency is reached.
3. Cool to room temp before using (optional)
Notes
- Extra reduction can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container, preferably glass.
- Pairs great with caprese salad, bruschetta, caprese appetizers, drizzled on artisanal pizzas, in paninis, etc. Some rave about drizzling it over vanilla ice cream.
Accompaniments // Recipe // Stovetop

cold ○ condiment ○ dressing ○ italian ○ pantry ingredients ○ quick ○ sauce ○ vegetarian
Caprese Salad

November 25, 2021
Ingredients

Makes 1 serving

Amount Ingredient
100g Mozzarella, fresh
½ tomato, medium
to taste salt
½ T olive oil, extra virgin
1 T Balsamic vinegar
3 T basil, fresh, ribboned

Process
1. Slice tomato into rounds, sprinkle with salt and layer with the mozzarella.
2. Distribute basil evenly and drizzle with oil and vinegar.
Nutrition

Calories: 350 (whole recipe)

Notes
- You can reduce balsamic in a small pot to concentrate it down and thicken the consistency; it will become a balsamic glaze and be a little sweeter.
- 25g of spinach will add 5 calories.
No Cook // Recipe // Salad

better than takeout ○ calories calculated ○ cold ○ italian ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ quick ○ vegetarian

Ingredients

Process

Notes

cheese recommendations

Ingredients

For the Marinade

For the Sauce

Process

Notes

Suggested uses

Ingredients

Process

Notes

optional add-ins

credits

Ingredients

Process

Notes

dressing uses

Credits

Ingredients

Process

Notes

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes

Ingredients

Process

Instant Pot

Stovetop

Nutrition

Notes

Ingredients

Process

Notes

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes